Without Putin, the Brics affair is all about India and China

[View in browser]( [Mail & Guardian]( M&G Mornings | Tue 22 Aug   [Ron Derby] Combined, the populations of India and China make up almost half the world’s population. Were they able to cooperate economically and not be lured into a damaging battle for influence in the emerging world and the industrialised world, they could really shake up the global order. However, it is never as simple as that is. Without the distraction of Vladimir Putin and what has a Russian economy in decline for decades, this week’s Brics will be much about the relations between these two super-powers, where they meet and where they may collide. For both South Africa and Brazil, expanding the family should ultimately be their focus. A bigger party takes away the focus on differences and rather finds synergies in forming a new bloc that could put both Africa and Latin America in a better bargaining position. Let’s see how this week unfolds, and hope that President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration can find a better trade deal in the global south for the continent as a whole, where it isn’t just about shipping out our raw materials. Ron Derby | Editor-in-Chief [@Ronderby]( [GettyImages-1241637534]( [Xi’s visit and the evolving China-South Africa partnership]( The two countries have a mutually beneficial future in mind at the Brics summit [// Read more]( [BRICS/SCO Summits - Russia 2015]( [How India moved to being a leading power in Brics and the world]( The rapidly growing economy is commanding more and more influence [// Read more]( [11Oct_JSE_ON1-1440x960]( Premium [Zondo commission punished with costs order in Salim Essa case]( The order raises questions as to who directs the defence of challenges to the work of commissions of inquiry [// Read more]( Recommended Reads [SAPS evidence management under the spotlight in Meyiwa murder trial]( The forensics investigator at the murder scene said he did not collect all DNA evidence as the people in the house were considered victims of an intrusion, not suspects [// Read more]( [Kwaito star Arthur Mafokate and the dodgy Lottery grant]( Mafokate’s company invoiced a non-profit organisation over R1-million from a lottery grant for a music festival that never happened [// Read more]( [Reserve Bank clears Ramaphosa of wrongdoing in Phala Phala matter]( The president did not violate any exchange control regulations, the central bank has found after a lengthy investigation [// Read more]( [Many transgressions before Zimbabwe’s elections raise questions about a free and fair poll]( The run-up to Wednesday’s poll has been preceded by a number of concerning undemocratic actions [// Read more]( [Re-thinking women’s sport in South Africa]( Policy does not match the all-inclusive ethos of the games women excel at [// Read more]( Pic of the day [South Africa Prepares For The BRICS Summit] Banners advertising the 2023 Brics summit hang from poles on the streets on August 20, 2023 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The three-day summit is set to run August 22-24. (Photo by Sheng Jiapeng/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images) [Share]( [Share]( [Tweet]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Forward]( This email was sent to {EMAIL} [why did I get this?]( [unsubscribe from this list]( [update subscription preferences]( Mail & Guardian Media LTD · 25 Owl St · Braamfontein · Johannesburg, Gauteng 2001 · South Africa